Valve.



No. 7oa,|45. Patentemsept. 2', |902. f won 9.1.` s. wAau.

VALVE: (Application led Nov. '21, 1901.) no Modem i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BARRY IVOR AND yJOHN S. VARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VALVE.

SI-ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,145', dated September 2, 1902. Application `filed November 21,1901. Serial No. 83,117. (No model.)

To @ZZ wir/0m t may concern: l

Be it known that we, BARRY IvoR and JOHNS. WARD, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to valves of the class known as check-valves, especially for use in lubricating.

It will be readily understood by-those fa' miliar With the operation of steam-engines that it is necessary to insert lubricating-oil into the valve chest or piston chamber against the pressure of the steam. This may be accomplished by employing steam-pressure upon the lubricating-oil to force the entrance thereof into the valve or piston charnber, in which method the oil commonly b'ecomes heated from contact with the steam. The lubricating-oil may, however, be passed through a check-valve normally held closed by the agency of a spring or the steam in the cylinder of the engine, or both; but when an engine continues to run after steam is shut off-as, for example, is usually the case with locomotive-engines when approaching a station-a vacuum is created in the cylinder, and this has a tendency to open the checkvalve and draw an excess of oil-from the source of supply. This may be avoided by kbreaking 4the vacuum by temporarily admitting air into the cylinder; and it is one of the objects of our invention to provide simple and effective means to admit oil to the cylinder or valve-'chest and at the same time avoid the possibility of a vacuum robbing the source of oil-supply.v

' In the forms of check-.valves employing springs to assist the steam in closing the valve it is frequently found that the steamv which gains direct access to the spring has a detrimental effect thereon. It is one of our objects to protect the spring from such destroying action of the steam.

We' attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is' a transverse sectional View taken vertically through the center of the valve-casing. Fig. 2 is a top sectional view taken on the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a side view of the relief-valve. Fig. 4 is asectional view of said valve, taken on the line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the checkvalve and valve-casing, taken on the line 5 5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a side view of the checkvalve.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the present arrangement of the parts the valve-casing a is so arranged that the checkvalve b and relief-valve c extend in transverse directions. As shown in Fig. l, said valve-casing has a passage d, which forms an entrance for the oil. At its inner extremity said passage d connects with the valve-chamber e, which latter has an increased diameter, thereby forming a valve-seatf between said passage and said chamber. Said valve b is provided at one extremity with a stem g and at the other extremity with a guide portion h, said guide portion having surfaces i t z' Working upon the surface of said passage d, but being cut away between said guide-surfaces for permitting the passage of the lubricating-oil. The valve-stem g' is encircled by the helical springj, which bears upon the annular portion lo of said check-valve and tends to close the same upon the valve-seat f. Said springvand valve-steinY are inclosed by the sleeve or tube m, which screws into said casing and is of reduced exterior diameter at its inner portion to afford a passage in said checkvalve chamber around said sleeve or tube. The inner extremity of said sleeve also forms a stop for limiting the inward travel of said check-valve. The valve-casing is supplied with a branch 'n for connection to the cylinder of a steam-engine or other pressure-chamber, and the opening o, of comparatively small diameter, forms a passage into the valvechamber e.

The wall p divides the check-valve chamber e from the relief-valve chamber q and forms a support for the relief-valvec when the latter is open. The opening `r in said wall p forms a passage between said valvecham bers and is so located as to register with the 'recess s, formed in vthe lower extremity of said relief-valve. Said lower extremity of the relief-valve is smaller in diameter than the relief-valve chamber, and since said recess extends completely across said valve e a IOO passage is thereby formed, whereby air may enter around and through said relief-valve, so as to enter the check-valve chamber@ when said relief-valve is open and resting upon the wall p.

The relief-valve seat is formed at the inner extremity of the nut t, which screws into the valve-casing and is centrally apertured to receve the guide portion u of the relief-valve c. Said guide portion is cut away in a manner similar to the check-valve b to admit air into the relief-valve chamber q. The outer cap v screws over the valve-casing, so as to inclose the relief-nut t to protect the reliefvalve and prevent access of obstructing matter. Said cap has a series of perforations w for the admission of air, and by preference said perforations are placed in the side walls of said cap to better exclude foreign matter.

The operation of the valve will be best understood if its use as a lubricator-valve for'v locomotive-cylinders be explained. For this purpose a positive-acting lubricating-pump is connected to the valve, so as to force oil through the passage d of the valve-casing, while the opening n is connected with the valve chest or cylinder of the engine. Under normal conditions when the engine is running the steam-pressure from the engine will keep the relief-valve c closed and will also supplement the action of the springj in keeping tne check-valve b closed, except when oil is forced through the passage d, chamber e, and passage 0 into the engine-cylinder. \Vhen, however, the engine continues to run after steam is shut olf from the engine-cylinder` a vacuum is created in said cylinder at each stroke of the piston, and such vacuum tends to open both the check and relief valves. XVithout the relief-valve if a small check-valve spring were used the vacuum created would suck an excess of oil through the passage d, thus robbing` the oil-reservoir and endangering the operation ofthe engine; but as the vacuum causes the relief-valve c to open air is admitted to the cylinder in suficient amount to decrease the effect of the vacuum, so that the spring j may hold the check-valve b closed.

By the employment of our valve it becomes practical to pump cold oil directly into the valve chest or cylinder against the pressure of the steam and at the same time avoid the danger of an excess flow of oil thereinto.

Our valve has another advantageous feature of especial value in connection with its use on locomotives, which permits the lubrication of the engine-cylinder Without the use of an oil-pump or at a time when the pump may be temporarily out of order. At such times the spring j is removed; but with this exception all parts are assembled as above described. Under these .conditions when steam-pressure in on said pressure will keep both valves shut. When it is desired to introduce oil into the cylinder, the operator permits a suitable quantity of oil to How into the opening d and then shuts 0E steam from the engine-cylinder during one or a few strokes of the engine-piston. This creates a vacuum, which opens the relief-valve, as above described; but inasmuch as the springj is removed there is nothing to prevent the opening of the check-valve also, and as a result the vacuum, although partially destroyed by the opening of the relief-valve, is nevertheless su fciently strong to draw the oil through the check-valve and chamber into and through the opening 0, thereby lubricating the enginecylinder.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A combined check and relief valve comprising a valve-casing, a check-valve chamber in said casing, a check-valve in said chamber, a relief-valve chamber in said casing communicating with said check-valve chamber, and a relief-valve in said relief-valve chamber, said valve-chambers communicating with an opening in the valve-casing for admitting steam to close said check and reliet valves.

2. The combination of a check-valve, a Vacuum-relief valve, a valve-casing, a check- Valve chamber in said casing, a relief-valve chamber in said casing, an opening in said casing communicating with said Valve-chambers, a spring for closing said check-valve and a sleeve inclosing said spring for protecting the same.

3. The combination of a valve-casing, a check-valve, a vacuum-relief valve, a checkvalve chamber in said casing, a relief-valve chamber in said casing, said chambers communicating one with another, an opening in said casing for admitting steam into said check-valve chamber, a spring for closingsaid check-valve, and a perforated cap for admitting air into said relief-valve chamber.

4. The combination of a valve-casing, a check-Valve, a check-valve chamber, a reliefvalve chamber, a wall in said casing for supporting said relief-valve when open, an opening in said casing for admitting steam thereinto, connections between said steam-opening and said check-valve chamber, an aperture in said wall for admitting steam into said relief-valve chamber and a recess in one extremity of said relief-valve registering with said aperture in said wall.

BARRY IVOR. JOHN S. WARD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. COX, SADIE WOLF.

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